Today had two true treats, both unexpected: a visit to a real Tahitian pearl farm, and a swim in a coral garden that was chock full of the most glorious fish imaginable. But first things first. Continue reading
Waking up in the beautiful anchorage, Clara had prepared a beautiful pancake breakfast.
After breakfast, our group went for a hike on Raiatea and visited Taputapuatea marae, aUNESCO World Heritage Site that was once considered the central temple of Eastern Polynesia. You can do a self-guided tour of the temple’s remains.
We then took a hike up the hill to get a view of the island and atoll from a different perspective. It was humid but worth the 40-minute hike!
Jerome then sailed us to the south of the island and anchored in a pretty bay for lunch, this time marinated chicken and pineapple skewers.
We sailed just a short distance north for our evening’s anchorage. Again, we kayaked and snorkeled and enjoyed the beautiful clear waters of Raiatea.
Clara served us an amazing swordfish dinner after we watched yet another perfect sunset.
See more in our Tahiti Yacht Charter Guide.
Tomorrow – Taha’a and a visit to at pearl farm
Waking up early (due to the time change) we were greeted with clear skies and a beautiful breakfast of fresh fruit, cheese, scrambled eggs and French pastries (croissants and pain au chocolats). Then we set off to Fare, the main town of Huahine, for a few items we’d forgotten to bring along.
Fare is a very small port town, but does have a grocery store, internet access and a few food trucks. We pulled directly up to the dock, went ashore, and were quickly back on the boat.
Fare is known for its view of a pregnant lady on her back – use your imagination!
We then anchored in a quiet spot just south of Fare for a beautiful fresh fish lunch prepared flawlessly by Clara.
After lunch cruised over to Raiatea, which took about 3 hours – 22 natuical miles. We anchored in a stunningly beautiful bay near Motu Iriru, on the east side of Raiatea, and got out all the water toys. The water in this bay was amazingly clear and the views of the island were spectacular. We saw lots of manta rays serenly swimming around the boat and launched the drone we brought for some great arial photos. Everyone truly enjoyed themselves on the kayaks and paddleboards!
We stayed in the bay for the night and celebrated our second sunset aboard DIVA on the flydeck.
See more in our Tahiti Yacht Charter Guide
Tomorrow – Hiking an archeological site on Raiatea and cruising to the north of the island.
Getting to Tahiti is not as far as you might think. While, yes, it is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, it is a smooth, 7-hour flight from Los Angeles. Closer than flying to Europe! Our Air Tahiti Nui Flight left LAX at 5:15 and arrived at around 11 PM at the main Airport on Tahiti Island.
After going through customs (everyone had to take a COVID Antigen test in the Airport), where a band was playing welcoming Tahitian Music, we simply walked across the street to the Tahiti Airport Motel and slept for a few hours before returning to the airport for our short, beautiful flight to Huahine, where our charter was to begin.
No need to arrive for flights 2 hours in advance in Tahiti, an hour or so will do! Our flight to Huahine took about an hour.
We arrived at Huahine at around 8 in the morning – too early to board the charter. So Boatbookings arranged that we would taxi to the south island (Huahine-Iti), and swim and have lunch at the pretty Hotel Le Mahana. Our Boat, DIVA, arrived promptly at 1 pm, and we were whisked by tender to our boat, and of course, given leis as soon as we boarded the boat!
We had our obligatory Captain’s Safety Briefing and off we went to our first anchorage, close to the town of Fare, but pristine with amazingly clear water.
Drinks on the flydeck, then dinner – fresh meka (from the swordfish family) with a French sauce – amazing!
Learn more about Tahiti Yacht Charters.
Tomorrow – sail to Raiatea
